In July of 1978, a newborn baby was abandoned near Highland Park in the town of Brighton. Now, some forty years later, that baby has grown up and wants help finding her birth mother.

The woman, who asked to be identified only as Lori, is now 40 and living in another state. She reached out to Brighton Police earlier this year for information on the case, and later met with Chief Mark Henderson to review the case file. The girl was dubbed "Baby Lilac" because she was found near Highland Park, famous for its lilac bushes.

"I have no doubt that Lori is Baby Lilac," Henderson said at a press conference Friday morning. "She's done extensive research."

The discovery of the abandoned baby shocked the community and drew intense media attention.

Judy McKeever told reporters at the time that she was inside her apartment on Highland Avenue about 10:40 p.m. on July 25, 1978, when she heard a baby crying. She went outside and discovered the newborn girl in a cardboard Miller Beer box.

"She didn't have any clothes on so I wrapped her up in a towel and held her", McKeever said Friday. "I didn't know if she had been fed, but she appeared to be in good condition."

The newborn was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where doctors said the 7½ pound baby girl was in good health and 3 or 4 days old.

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A baby girl was found abandoned at the bottom of a woman's apartment stairs on Highland Avenue and Lilac Drive July 25, 1978. This is the baby at a local hospital Wednesday, July 26, 1978. Social services department at the time named her Heather Ann.(Photo: 1978 file photo)

They could tell the baby had not been born in a hospital. The umbilicus, the stump of the umbilical cord after it is cut, was tied with a rubber band. The practice at the time was to use plastic clamps.

Police said they believed the girl was born at home.

Gail Rizzo, a social worker assigned to the case, said the baby needed a proper name and dubbed her "Heather Ann Lilac."

A letter postmarked three days later was one of the few clues investigators had.

The author of this letter was never found. Brighton police received several other tips, including a phone call that may have been from the mother. Chief Henderson said that all of the investigative leads were exhausted and the mother was never identified.

The case generated extensive media coverage, but the mother never came forward. A lengthy court process ended with the baby being declared legally abandoned, and she was adopted by a family a short time later.

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Story from Democrat and Chronicle Archives, July 27, 1978.(Photo: File photo)

Search for answers

Lori told Chief Henderson what she knew from the extensive research she had done in an attempt to locate her birth mother. She learned that she was adopted from Monroe County in 1978 and the status of her birth certificate stated that she was a "foundling."

Research of newspaper clippings helped her uncover the unusual circumstances of her birth.

Chief Henderson said that earlier this year, he received a Freedom of Information request for all reports regarding “Baby Lilac.” The request came from Lori, who said she believed that she was the baby who was left in the box.

Chief Henderson met with Lori last month to review the case file. Lori also had a chance to meet both McKeever and Rizzo.

McKeever said she has often wondered what had happened to the baby girl she found that day. They connected via email earlier this year and finally got a chance to meet in person last week.

Judy McKeever, who found a baby outside her apartment building door in 1978 in Brighton, smiles as she says she is glad she found out what happened to the baby and is happy that the woman has a happy life.(Photo: Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rocheser Democrat and Chronicle)

"It was wonderful," McKeever said, choking back tears. "We have a connection. We're going to be friends for life."

McKeever said she wants to help Lori on the journey toward finding her birth mother, and hopes that coming forward now can help.

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Judy McKeever, who found a baby in Brighton in 1978, talks about meeting her decades later and wondering about her all these years. (Sept. 7, 2018)
Tina MacIntyre-Yee, @tyee23

Lori has submitted DNA samples to commercial sites like Ancestry and 23andMe but has not found any family matches.

At the press conference Friday, Henderson had a message for the birth mother, who might still be concerned about coming forward even four decades later.

"First, there is no legal ramification if she were to come forward," he said. The statute of limitations on any potential criminal charges expired years ago.

Instead, Henderson wants to convey a sense of hopeful optimism that a reunion could take place.

"You should know that Lori is healthy, she's an adult, and she wants to meet you," Henderson said.